2,360 research outputs found
Development and selection of operational management strategies to achieve policy objectives
Since the reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy in 2002, effort has been devoted to addressing the governance, scientific, social and economic issues required to introduce an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) in Europe. Fisheries management needs to support the three pillars of sustainability (ecological, social and economic) and Fisheries Ecosystem Plans (FEPs) have been developed as a tool to assist managers considering the ecological, social and economic implications of their decision. Building upon previous studies (e.g. the FP5-funded European Fisheries Ecosystem Plan project), the core concept of the Making the European Fisheries Ecosystem Plan Operational (MEFEPO) project is to deliver operational frameworks (FEPs) for three regional seas. The project focus is on how best to make current institutional frameworks responsive to an EAFM at regional and pan-European levels in accordance with the principles of good governance. The regional seas selected for the project are the North Sea (NS), North Western Waters (NWW) and South Western Waters (SWW) RAC regions. The aim of this work package (WP5) was to develop operational objectives to achieve the ecological objectives identified for the 3 regional seas in WP2. This report describes the development and implementation of a transparent and formal process that should lead to identification of the “best” operational management strategies for an EAFM, based on sound scientific information and stakeholder involvement (e.g. regional industry groups, citizen groups, managers and other interest groups)
Trends in total column ozone measurements
It is important to ensure the best available data are used in any determination of possible trends in total ozone in order to have the most accurate estimates of any trends and the associated uncertainties. Accordingly, the existing total ozone records were examined in considerable detail. Once the best data set has been produced, the statistical analysis must examine the data for any effects that might indicate changes in the behavior of global total ozone. The changes at any individual measuring station could be local in nature, and herein, particular attention was paid to the seasonal and latitudinal variations of total ozone, because two dimensional photochemical models indicate that any changes in total ozone would be most pronounced at high latitudes during the winter months. The conclusions derived from this detailed examination of available total ozone can be split into two categories, one concerning the quality and the other the statistical analysis of the total ozone record
Optimal Control of Superconducting N-level quantum systems
We consider a current-biased dc SQUID in the presence of an applied
time-dependent bias current or magnetic flux. The phase dynamics of such a
Josephson device is equivalent to that of a quantum particle trapped in a D
anharmonic potential, subject to external time-dependent control fields, {\it
i.e.} a driven multilevel quantum system. The problem of finding the required
time-dependent control field that will steer the system from a given initial
state to a desired final state at a specified final time is formulated in the
framework of optimal control theory. Using the spectral filter technique, we
show that the selected optimal field which induces a coherent population
transfer between quantum states is represented by a carrier signal having a
constant frequency but which is time-varied both in amplitude and phase. The
sensitivity of the optimal solution to parameter perturbations is also
addressed
A Core Outcome Set and minimum reporting set for intervention studies in growth restriction in the NEwbOrN: the COSNEON study.
BACKGROUND: Different interventions and treatments are available for growth-restricted newborns to improve neonatal and long-term outcomes. Lack of outcome standardization across trials of feeding interventions limits pooled analysis of intervention effects. This study aimed to develop a core outcome set (COS) and minimum reporting set (MRS) for this research field. METHODS: A scoping search identified relevant outcomes and baseline characteristics. These outcomes were presented to two stakeholder groups (lay experience and professional experts) in three rounds of online Delphi surveys. The professional experts were involved in the development of the MRS. All items were rated for their importance on a 5-point Likert scale and re-rated in subsequent rounds after presentation of the results at the group level. During a face-to-face consensus, meeting the final COS and MRS were determined. FINDINGS: Forty-seven of 53 experts (89%) who completed the first round completed all three survey rounds. After the consensus meeting, consensus was reached on 19 outcomes and 17 baseline characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: A COS and MRS for feeding interventions in the newborn after growth restriction were developed. Use of these sets will promote uniform reporting of study characteristics and improve data synthesis and meta-analysis of multiple studies. IMPACT: Both a COS and MRS for growth restriction in the newborn were developed.This study provides the first international combined health-care professional and patient consensus on outcomes and baseline characteristics for intervention and treatment studies in growth-restricted newborns.The use of COS and MRS results in the development of more uniform study protocols, thereby facilitating data synthesis/meta-analysis of multiple studies aiming to optimize treatment and interventions in growth restriction in the newborn
Black Hole Formation with an Interacting Vacuum Energy Density
We discuss the gravitational collapse of a spherically symmetric massive core
of a star in which the fluid component is interacting with a growing vacuum
energy density. The influence of the variable vacuum in the collapsing core is
quantified by a phenomenological \beta-parameter as predicted by dimensional
arguments and the renormalization group approach. For all reasonable values of
this free parameter, we find that the vacuum energy density increases the
collapsing time but it cannot prevent the formation of a singular point.
However, the nature of the singularity depends on the values of \beta. In the
radiation case, a trapped surface is formed for \beta<1/2 whereas for
\beta>1/2, a naked singularity is developed. In general, the critical value is
\beta=1-2/3(1+\omega), where the \omega-parameter describes the equation of
state of the fluid component.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure
Fe XI emission lines in a high resolution extreme ultraviolet spectrum obtained by SERTS
New calculations of radiative rates and electron impact excitation cross
sections for Fe XI are used to derive emission line intensity ratios involving
3s^23p^4 - 3s^23p^33d transitions in the 180-223 A wavelength range. These
ratios are subsequently compared with observations of a solar active region,
obtained during the 1995 flight Solar EUV Research Telescope and Spectrograph
(SERTS). The version of SERTS flown in 1995 incorporated a multilayer grating
that enhanced the instrumental sensitivity for features in the 170 - 225 A
wavelength range, observed in second-order between 340 and 450 A. This
enhancement led to the detection of many emission lines not seen on previous
SERTS flights, which were measured with the highest spectral resolution (0.03
A) ever achieved for spatially resolved active region spectra in this
wavelength range. However, even at this high spectral resolution, several of
the Fe XI lines are found to be blended, although the sources of the blends are
identified in the majority of cases. The most useful Fe XI electron density
diagnostic line intensity ratio is I(184.80 A)/I(188.21 A). This ratio involves
lines close in wavelength and free from blends, and which varies by a factor of
11.7 between N_e = 10^9 and 10^11 cm^-3, yet shows little temperature
sensitivity. An unknown line in the SERTS spectrum at 189.00 A is found to be
due to Fe XI, the first time (to our knowledge) this feature has been
identified in the solar spectrum. Similarly, there are new identifications of
the Fe XI 192.88, 198.56 and 202.42 A features, although the latter two are
blended with S VIII/Fe XII and Fe XIII, respectively.Comment: 21 pages, 9 gigures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journa
Competition for hydrogen bond formation in the helix-coil transition and protein folding
The problem of the helix-coil transition of biopolymers in explicit solvents,
like water, with the ability for hydrogen bonding with solvent is addressed
analytically using a suitably modified version of the Generalized Model of
Polypeptide Chains. Besides the regular helix-coil transition, an additional
coil-helix or reentrant transition is also found at lower temperatures. The
reentrant transition arises due to competition between polymer-polymer and
polymer-water hydrogen bonds. The balance between the two types of hydrogen
bonding can be shifted to either direction through changes not only in
temperature, but also by pressure, mechanical force, osmotic stress or other
external influences. Both polypeptides and polynucleotides are considered
within a unified formalism. Our approach provides an explanation of the
experimental difficulty of observing the reentrant transition with pressure;
and underscores the advantage of pulling experiments for studies of DNA.
Results are discussed and compared with those reported in a number of recent
publications with which a significant level of agreement is obtained.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys Rev
Soft X-ray emission lines of Fe XV in solar flare observations and the Chandra spectrum of Capella
Recent calculations of atomic data for Fe XV have been used to generate
theoretical line ratios involving n = 3-4 transitions in the soft X-ray
spectral region (52-83 A), for a wide range of electron temperatures and
densities applicable to solar and stellar coronal plasmas. A comparison of
these with solar flare observations from a rocket-borne spectrograph (XSST)
reveals generally good agreement between theory and experiment. In particular,
the 82.76 A emission line in the XSST spectrum is identified, for the first
time to our knowledge in an astrophysical source. Most of the Fe XV transitions
which are blended have had the species responsible clearly identified, although
there remain a few instances where this has not been possible. The line ratio
calculations are also compared with a co-added spectrum of Capella obtained
with the Chandra satellite, which is probably the highest signal-to-noise
observation achieved for a stellar source in the 25-175 A soft X-ray region.
Good agreement is found between theory and experiment, indicating that the Fe
XV lines are reliably detected in Chandra spectra, and hence may be employed as
diagnostics to determine the temperature and/or density of the emitting plasma.
However the line blending in the Chandra data is such that individual emission
lines are difficult to measure accurately, and fluxes may only be reliably
determined via detailed profile fitting of the observations. The co-added
Capella spectrum is made available to hopefully encourage further exploration
of the soft X-ray region in astronomical sources.Comment: 27 pages, 10 figures, Astrophysical Journal, in pres
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